Appeal 2007-1404
Application 10/212,316
INTRODUCTION
The claims are directed to a process for improving the view in a
vehicle, particularly in darkness, bad weather, or fog. Laser light with a
wavelength outside the visible spectrum is emitted and observed by a
camera, with the images being displayed to the vehicle operator. The laser
light and/or the camera are additionally used for optical communication with
other vehicles. (Abstract.) Claim 7 is illustrative:
7. A process for improving the view in a vehicle as well as providing
an optical communication system, comprising
emitting laser light with a wavelength outside of the visible spectrum
into a predetermined spatial area,
observing the predetermined spatial area using a camera sensitive to
said wavelength,
displaying images from the camera to the vehicle operator,
said process further comprising optically communicating with other
vehicles using the laser light and/or the camera by
modulating said laser light with information to be transmitted to
another vehicle, and
demodulating laser light received by said camera from another vehicle
and evaluating the demodulated laser light for information contained therein.
The Examiner relies on the following prior art references to show
unpatentability:
Owen US 5,648,862 Jul. 15, 1997
Breed US 6,370,475 B1 Apr. 9, 2002
Dunning US 6,765,495 B1 Jul. 20, 2004
2
Page: Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 Next
Last modified: September 9, 2013